The Abia State Government has issued a strongly worded response to recent comments credited to the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, in which he confidently declared that Abia State would fall under the control of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
In a statement released on Sunday, the state government described Senator Kalu’s remarks as boastful, misleading, and disconnected from political realities on the ground in Abia. The statement, signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, said while the senator is entitled to his political opinions and ambitions, dragging Governor Alex Otti into partisan posturing required a firm and factual response.
Senator Kalu had been quoted as saying, “Abia will be APC in 2027,” while also stressing that although Governor Alex Otti is his friend, he would only vote and work for his party, the APC. He further pledged to work tirelessly for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re election and for any APC governorship candidate in Abia, declaring that he was prepared to “lay his heart on the field” for the party.
Reacting, the Abia State Government stated that it would ordinarily have ignored the comments, as Senator Kalu’s choice of political allegiance is protected by the constitution and democratic norms. However, the government said the repeated reference to Governor Otti made it necessary to clarify the facts and correct what it described as deliberate misrepresentation.
According to the statement, Governor Alex Otti has never approached Senator Kalu to solicit support for his re election bid, nor has he ever attempted to persuade him to work against the APC or any of its prospective candidates. The government described Senator Kalu’s recurring emphasis on not supporting Governor Otti as unnecessary, pedestrian, and increasingly ludicrous.
The statement warned that if the senator’s comments were intended as subtle threats or political intimidation, he was gravely mistaken. It stressed that Governor Otti is not weakened or frightened by threats, but rather strengthened by opposition, adding that such rhetoric only underscores a misunderstanding of the governor’s resolve and popular support.
The Abia government also questioned the sincerity of Senator Kalu’s public declarations of loyalty to his party, arguing that genuine party commitment is demonstrated through effective grassroots mobilisation and tangible electoral outcomes, not through media statements and grandstanding.
To support its position, the government challenged Senator Kalu to publicly present the polling unit and ward results from his constituency during the 2023 governorship and presidential elections. According to figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the APC reportedly performed poorly in both elections in Bende Local Government Area, the senator’s home base.
The government posed a pointed question: if Senator Kalu truly worked for President Tinubu and the APC as he claims, how did the APC lose decisively in his polling units and wards in the presidential election conducted on the same day he won his senatorial seat. The statement described this contradiction as evidence that political influence cannot be assumed or exaggerated without corresponding electoral proof.
The statement further argued that Governor Otti’s political strength lies in the overwhelming trust and confidence reposed in him by the people of Abia. It recalled that in the 2023 elections, Abians voted massively for Otti and the Labour Party largely on the basis of his personal credibility, professional competence, integrity, and clearly articulated manifesto, all of which were, at the time, campaign promises.
Despite those promises alone, Governor Otti emerged as the only Labour Party governor in the entire country, a feat the government described as unprecedented and historic. The statement argued that if Abians could vote so decisively for Otti before he assumed office, it would be illogical to assume they would abandon him after witnessing what it described as “enduring and visible transformation” across the state in less than three years of his administration.
According to the government, Governor Otti’s performance in office has elevated him beyond partisan boundaries in the eyes of the electorate. It asserted that many Abians now regard the governor himself as their most credible political platform, regardless of party labels, and view his re election as a “divine project” that must be pursued with courage, passion, and precision.
The statement also took note of Senator Kalu’s alleged move to promote his younger brother for the 2027 governorship election. While congratulating the senator for exercising his right to political participation, the government reminded the public that the same individual had contested the 2023 governorship election as the candidate of the Action People’s Party and finished last in the polls.
In contrast, the government disclosed that four credible and formidable aspirants have already indicated interest in contesting the Abia North senatorial seat on the platform of the Labour Party. It assured that whoever emerges from the party’s primaries would enjoy the full support of Governor Otti and the Labour Party structure to secure victory in 2027.
The statement concluded by reiterating the Abia State Government’s confidence in the political judgment of the people, stressing that Abians have demonstrated a consistent preference for competence, performance, and character over political noise and empty bravado. It warned that any attempt to underestimate the electorate or rewrite recent electoral history would be met with a “piercing defeat” at the polls.
The statement was dated January 5, 2026, and signed by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, underscoring the administration’s readiness to defend its record and political standing ahead of the 2027 elections.
